if not, why isn't everyone using them? They add considerable power during the smash, and has very little cost to the game. (They effectively strength the triceps, which is usually involved in power movements rather than delicate movements.) I've never used wraps before being injured, and how much power they add (when its tight enough) blew me away. Its like i'm even stronger while injured than while i was healthy! Supposedly, you gain as much as 30% more smash power!
i have a very vague idea of what you are talking about.... could someone post a diagram of what an elbow wrap looks like?? and i'm sure there is SOME form of drawback, or some reason they aren't used (or maybe they are illegal), or else internationals would be using them... i mean, 30% more smash power??
Says me. It biases your elbow towards extension, which effectively ads tricep explosive strength and hence smashing power. The disadvantage is weaker underhand clears... but there's more than enough strength there to get the bird to the other side, so extra strength is wasted anyway. The elbow wraps acts like a spring to explode your elbow from contraction to extension. Its use is limited in other sports, but I see no restrictions in the badminton rule books... Elbow wraps are just a long bandage-like elastic band that is wrapped around the elbow. Its different from elbow support in that in addition to concentric support, it also adds tricep support.
i'll try that soon I'm also skeptical as to how helpful that could be for overheads, since it inhibits arm motion. Wouldn't arm wraps be very popular in sports such as baseball and badminton by now if they have such positive effects??
i just use a long wristband that's used for baseball and pul it up to my elbow, seems to do the same thing
i have seen elbow wraps being used. but more for support after an injury. so no, they are not illegal.
and now the meaty question... who has access to one and a gym to try this out? I'm talking about the wraps used specifically for boosting strength, but the ones for injury prevention. And to test whether the extra power gain is offset by the decreased accuracy. (I presume accuracy would decrease since it's not natural.)
Tennis elbow? If it is one of those things to help relieve pain from "Tennis Elbow," it does not, or should not add power, I'd say. Before when I had "Tennis Elbow," I had something to put around my elbow to make it feel better. But fact is, if you get Tennis Elbow, the way you produce power from strokes are incorrect, or inefficient because you are using brute force. It might feel like you are comfortable, and able to use more strength, so you may think you are gaining more power. But after my coach friend helped me with me with strokes, it eventually got better, and less brute force with more technique, I got better smashes. But that is IF it is the Tennis Elbow thing you are talking about.
i'm not famililar with what you are talking about, but i'm 100% sure elbow wraps will not help with tennis since tennis swings relies on biceps rather than triceps except for the backhand. If anything, i'd imagine wraps to hurt tennis play more than it will help. Wraps do add tricep strength since the elastic pulls along the elbow, basically imitating an external muscle.
Interesting. However: Q: Does elbow extension contribute much to the power of an overhead shot in badminton? A: No. Or to put it another way, if you find it does, go work on your hitting technique!
Can you post a picture/diagram of what you mean, I find myself thinking tubed bandage or one of those adjustable vibration dampners you wear after a tennis elbow injury that you can tighten almost like a tournaque. Now I'm a bit
if you lock your elbow perfectly straight, how much smashing power would you have? I'd recon far less. The triceps is one of the strongest muscles in the upper body, and its entire strength can be transfered to the movement of the upper arm and racquet (which is relatively light.) The upper arm is about 0.9 kg. It's mass centre of rotation about the elbow is about 6 inchs (from elbow). A racquet is about 0.1g with a mass centre of rotation 12 inches (from wrist). The tricep is about 5 times stronger than the wrist muscle. thus 0.5x2^2=2 The smash's ready position is when the tricep is maximally stretched. It's end position is when the tricep is maximally extended. Thus the tricep contracts through its entire range of motion throughout a smash. The same can be said of the wrist. So the above holds true during a badminton smash. Thus 66% of a smash's speed comes from the triceps. if you aren't using your triceps in your smashes, then I think you shouldn't point at others until you check your own form. I do not claim to have the perfect smash form, but I do know the triceps are very important.
as in sweat wrist bands? The elastic is too weak to add any strength. And even if it could, it wouldn't add any strength to the wrist muscles since you are pushing away from a linear alignment during a smash, whereas wrist wraps will be pushing your hand towards alignment, thereby taking away from your swing speed. How to tell if you have elbow WRAPS: wrap it around your elbows. Hold your arm up high straight. Relax your muscles. If your arm doesn't fall down and hit your head, you have elbow wraps. (You still still have complete freedom of movement of your arm, except you now have about 10 to 50lb of force biased along the extension of triceps.
That's a lot of work for your biceps to be doing then, all game long, if you ever want to play a shot that requires you to bend your elbow.
I was just watching the recording of the Uber cup finals and noticed Zhang Jiewen wearing one of these in the doubles match against Korea. So no, they are not prohibited
